free knife skills class!

plus: the only 3 knives you need to own

When I was teaching weekly Zoom cooking classes in 2020 and 2021, one of the things we really focused on was knife skills. Knife skills are the very core of cooking. The faster you can chop, the faster you can get dinner on the table. The less skilled you are with knives, the more frustrating cooking can be.

One of my old cooking class members recently emailed me that she just re-took my knife skills class with her husband and that they both felt so much more empowered in the kitchen, so I thought I’d share it with all of you today! Helping you feel more empowered in the kitchen is the goal here, and easy, delicious recipes are only half of that battle. Fundamental kitchen skills are essential!

The class is long, but you can skip around.

Highly recommend buying a few Idaho potatoes (they’re cheap!) to practice these skills on as you watch.

the only knives you need to own

• Chef’s Knife or Santoku Knife // This is your workhorse in the kitchen. I cut 99% of things with my Santoku. Whether you prefer a chef’s (longer, pointier) knife or a santoku (curved blade) knife is entirely personal preference. If you live with another adult, I recommend getting one of each!

  • Global Chef’s Knife

  • Global Santoku Knife

• Serrated Knife // I use my serrated knife very rarely, for slicing bread and slicing tomatoes (it works perfectly on the thin skin!), so I love my $20 Mercer serrated knife. I’ve had it for years and only get it sharpened once a year or so. If you’re a bread baker or tomato farmer, get a nicer knife and get it sharpened more often!

  • Mercer Serrated Knife (inexpensive)

  • Victorinox Serrated Knife (more expensive)

• Paring Knife // I use my paring knife very seldom, mostly just to cut strawberries and grapes!

  • Global Paring Knife

Any questions about knives, or requests for future deep-dives about kitchen tools? Let’s chat in the comments!